Kenya Looking for a Geothermal Boom

The facility, known as ArGEO and funded with about $18 million from the UN’s Global Environment Fund, became operational in 2010. It aims to provide technical assistance to participating countries that will help them reduce the risk of geothermal exploration, and create a clear regulatory framework for the industry. “We are fully steaming ahead,” says Dr. Zemedkun, ArGEO’s project manager. “In the next five years, I hope to see 500 megawatts minimum power generation in the region, excluding Kenya. If you include Kenya, it should be 1,000 megawatts of power generation. If we don’t think big, we won’t make it happen.”